My name is Mick West. I’m a writer and a debunker. I used to be a video game programmer.I focus on investigating and explaining conspiracy theories such as Chemtrails, 9/11 controlled demolition, and False Flags. I also cover more esoteric topics such as UFO’s, pseudoscience, Flat Earth, photo analysis, and quackery.

Email: mick@mickwest.com Phone 530-903-5359

Escaping the Rabbit Hole:

Based on my experiences interacting with conspiracy theorists, my book:Escaping the Rabbit Hole,was published by Skyhorse Publishing on September 18, 2018. Escaping the Rabbit Hole examines the full spectrum of conspiracy theories from 9/11 to Flat Earth, and looks at how people get into them, how they get drawn down the rabbit hole, how they get out, and how you can help. Interviews with former conspiracy theorists show that there is hope even for the most deeply entrenched conspiracist. I explain the key flaws with popular conspiracy theories, and how to talk to people who believe in them.

My Web Sites:

Metabunk.org – My primary site where I post and discuss various investigations. A polite forum of and about debunking. Metabunk gets 10,000 visitors a day and has an active discussion community.

CNN, November 2010Explaining the “mystery missile” and another contrail UFOhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsualTDjeVo,

America’s Most Secret Structures, Discovery Channel, 2014I was profiled as a “Contrail Expert”, and explained the science of Contrail formation relating to the “Chemtrails” conspiracy theory.https://vimeo.com/166268186

“Mick West is a pilot and creator of the website, ContrailScience.com. We talk about the history and science of contrails; how they are formed, how they take on a variety of shapes, and why they can last for short or long durations. And we'll also discuss Mick's criticsm of the chemtrail conspiracy. We also discuss another website he's developed recently on ‘how to debunk' called Metabunk.org.”

Articles and Publications

A peer reviewed study I co-authored on expert opinions of the evidence put forward supporting the “chemtrails” conspiracy theory. This was the most popular article in the history of Environmental Research Letters and got a top 5% Altmetric score. There was extensive media coverage of this paper, and I presented it at CSICon 2016.

Other Media Mentions (incomplete list)

Daily Express, UK, 2018

“Sceptics at debunking website Metabunk.org have been analyzing the footage to see if it does in fact "defy physics" as claimed. Mick West, administrator of Metabunk.org, who has poured cold water on many previous claims of evidence of UFOs, came to the conclusion it could just be a misidentified plane in the far distance.”

“Mick West, administrator of Metabunk.org, a website which investigates and exposes hoax UFO and alien sightings, concluded the alleged lizard was simply a dust removal device at the head of the rover.“

“The appearance of “paranoid” theories of this nature does not surprise Mick West, a programmer based in California who has run a blog for several years, Metabunk, trying to thwart this type of speech.”

“The airplane explanation was put forth rather quickly by Contrail Science, which demonstrated how an airplane flying horizontally toward a viewer can, from certain perspectives, mimic the appearance of a rocket flying vertically into the sky. “

My gameography on Mobygames. All the games I worked on. This was mostly programming and design up to Tony Hawk’s Underground. Then consulting on some games. The last programming I did there was the AI for World Series of Poker back in 2005.

Brandon Fugal is a prominent business leader based in Utah and is the current owner of the mysterious Skinwalker Ranch, which is the focus of a wide variety of reported strange phenomena, from supernatural visitors...

Steven Hassan is an expert on cults. A former high ranking member of the Unification Church, aka the “Moonies”, he’s been helping people escape the rabbit hole since his own escape in 1976. Now he’s...

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Jeremy Rys has gone by “Alien Scientist” for over ten years. His primary interest is in independently researching exotic technology like anti-gravity and warp drives. Some people speculate that such technology exists and comes from...

DJ Thermal Detonator was heavily involved in the Los Angeles 9/11 Truth scene in the late 2000s. At that time, local activism centered around the We Are Change group. DJ attended meetings, helped out with...

Gary Voorhis was a computer technician on the USS Princeton during the 2004 "Tic-Tac" UFO incident (commonly referred to as the "Nimitz Incident" after the aircraft carrier heading the strike group.) He thinks what he saw was some kind of advanced technology, possibly alien technology.